Time Schedule:
Daniel D. Poston
MGMT 579
Seattle Campus
In-depth study and research on topics of special interest to faculty members and students in the fields of human resources management, organizational behavior, and strategic management. Offered on an ad hoc basis. Content announced before scheduled offering.
Class description
MGMT 579 A/B Intersections of Law and Business (4 cr) Wednesday evenings 6:00 – 9:30 pm (June 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 17 (no class August 10) Instructor: Dan Poston This is a new course, so there is no existing syllabus to share. The syllabus has not been finalized since speakers and some cases are still in flux. Instructor Background: I practiced business law for 12 years primarily focusing on two areas: (1) international transactions between large corporations in the U.S., Japan, and China and (2) legal counsel to a very large number of entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. Many of these ventures were launched by investors coming from outside the U.S., primarily Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Iran, and Russia. My practice first focused on business transactions and protection of IP, but I developed expertise in business formation, trade regulation, some government regulation, employment issues, and immigration. I have also served as a senior manager for two Japanese multinational corporations and three startup ventures. I have been corporate legal counsel, a management consultant, and the investor/owner of a company – all enjoyable, but very different roles. I saw many successes, many failures, and an amazing array of mistakes and disasters. I have woven some of the most interesting and informative of these experiences into cases already used here at Foster. I will bring additional ones into this course. Objective of the Course: For several years students have asked me why there is no business law in the Foster MBA curriculum. In particular, people have asked for courses or workshops on business formation, intellectual property, and distribution agreements. JD/MBA students have complained that with no law in the program, some MBA students graduate with no idea how much impact law has on business. To the extent one single course can do so, this is my chance to address this concern. This course is not designed for law students and I won’t teach it like a law class. It is designed to build awareness of the legal issues in common business situations, especially in areas where business people are often oblivious to or ignore the legal risks. Hopefully I can enhance your knowledge of areas where problems may lurk, your willingness at such times to call in a lawyer, and your ability to ask the right questions. Course Content and Structure: The course has eight sessions. I plan to split those sessions between two primary focuses each week with a break in between. The format of each of these focus periods will be a case discussion, speaker with Q&A, an in-class group exercise, or later in the course, small group presentations. The course will definitely look at forms of business, contracts, partnership/shareholder agreements, some employment law, IP protection, distribution agreements, and how you deal with situations when you do get sued or tangled in red tape including dealing with the media and government. I will not address some key areas including securities transactions, buying and selling a business, consumer protection, criminal law, or tax law. These areas are outside my experience and expertise, courses in these areas are available elsewhere, and business people usually know to involve lawyers in these matters. The student groups will have a chance to add to the areas covered in the presentations. In this way, members of the class will drive a portion of the content. I hope to have all course materials online and openly accessible, but can’t promise that yet. I will do my best to minimize the cost of materials. I plan to base grades on three short case/topic write ups, a group paper and presentation on a topic chosen by the group, and class participation. Groups will self-select. The group topic must be approved in advance by me. Approval will be based on relevance to the course and to likely interest among the other students.
Student learning goals
Explained in the class description.
General method of instruction
Socratic dialogue with the class, case discussions, and both group and individual presentations.
Recommended preparation
None. Not recommended for law students or those with significant legal experience.
Class assignments and grading
Course Assignments
Business Venue Assessment
Each student will select a place to locate a business and prepare a report evaluating the pros and cons of this venue for a particular business. The business could be a start up or an existing business of your choice. The venue can be a state or a city. During the class meeting in Week 2 we will poll the class to insure a good set of venues and different businesses have been selected. This paper must be submitted electronically not later than 9:00 pm Monday, July 11, 2011. The paper should address and weigh the costs and benefits of both business considerations and legal and regulatory considerations, (balancing the two) then make a recommendation regarding the suitability of that location for the intended business. ( A yes or no recommendation.) This paper must be at least five (5) pages. (Bullet points and brief summaries of factors are welcome.) However, if you have a personal interest in doing a more robust analysis of a particular venue, I will accept and comment on a longer effort as a favor, not necessarily to increase your grade. Ideally, choose a location you might consider for a business you want to start or one in which you might choose to be employed. You may also choose a location where you may choose to live in the future.
Note: A selection of people will be asked to debate the pros and cons of some venues during class session on July 13 drawing from the work done for this paper.
Session Topic Preparation and/or Personal Case Experience Write-Up
Each student will select a topic scheduled to be addressed during one of the class sessions of Class 3 to Class 7. The student has the option to either (1) prepare a four (4) page report on the key elements of one area of law in this topic, OR (2) prepare a two (2) page report on the key elements of one area of law and write up and be prepared to discuss a one to two page case drawn from his or her personal experience with a legal challenge in this topical area that would be suitable and relevant for class discussion. The case must be written in a way that makes it permissible to be discussed in class. The instructor will review these case write ups and may tap the student to lead a class discussion of very relevant and well-crafted case write-ups. The student must get advance permission of the instructor for the topic. In Class 2 we will poll the class to insure a suitable distribution of papers and/or cases across all class sessions.
Group Report and Presentation
As mentioned in the abstract for this course, I am covering areas of law for which I have heard the highest demand from MBA students over time. I selected session topics roughly in order of those impacting the broadest number of businesses of all kinds. There are many important areas of law I am not covering and areas I am not covering in significant depth.
The group report will give you a chance to explore an area of law of personal interest to you and some of your classmates. The report can be on an area of law related to business not covered at all in this course or an area not covered in depth. These group reports will be shared with the class as an in-class presentation, broadening the range of legal issues touched on for everyone in the class.
Four-person teams will be selected between Class 2 and Class 3. I have space in the course schedule for no more than 10 team presentations, so I will limit the number of teams and team projects to 10 or less. Each team will prepare a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation on the topic and be prepared for a 5-minute follow-up Q&A session. Each team must get approval from the instructor in advance on the scope and general format of the presentation. Dates and times of the group presentations will be determined in a negotiation with each group represented by one member around Class 4 on July 13. The Powerpoint deck along with any appendices must be created in a “stand alone” or “mute” deck format (think Elizabeth Stearns model) that will make sense to someone who did not see the oral presentation. The group Powerpoint presentation must be submitted by 9:00 PM on the Monday evening before the group is scheduled to present to the class. All members of the group should present.
